Health

Medical Doctor

Doctors find out what is making people sick or hurt, treat them, and help them stay well, in hospitals, clinics and practices.

A smiling doctor in a white coat, with a stethoscope round her neck, sits at her desk and goes over notes on a clipboard with a patient.
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At a glance

Pay

On the government's pay scale for doctors, an intern (Intern I) earned J$6,119,400 a year from 1 April 2024, and a senior house officer J$6,799,334. Pay scales change, so check the current one.

Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Jamaica Medical Doctors Salary Scales with Interns 2023-2025 (Health Professional Category, Medical Officers Series HPC/MO), checked Oct 2026

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Years of study

UWI Mona's MBBS is five years of full-time study. You must be at least 18 in the year you start.

The University of the West Indies, Mona, Entry Requirements (by faculty), checked Oct 2026

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Jobs

High for specialist doctors: the Ministry of Health says Jamaica is short of them

Ministry of Health and Wellness, Press release: Health Ministry rolls out expanded Healthcare Workforce Strategy (12 May 2026), checked Oct 2026

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The path

  1. Your CSEC subjects and where to study

    Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)

    The University of the West Indies, Mona

    You need: 5 CSEC passes (grade III or better), including English A, Mathematics and Physics and usually CSEC Biology (check your sixth form) and usually CSEC Chemistry (check your sixth form) and CAPE Chemistry Units 1 and 2 and CAPE Biology Units 1 and 2 and One other CAPE subject (both units)

    The University of the West Indies, Mona, Entry Requirements (by faculty), checked Oct 2026

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    Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) (in Trinidad)

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

    You need: 5 CSEC passes (grade III or better), including English A, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Mathematics

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, MBBS entry requirements (Faculty of Medical Sciences), checked Oct 2026

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  2. Your licence

    After your degree you do a one-year medical internship. You must finish it to apply for full registration as a doctor with the Medical Council of Jamaica.

    Ministry of Health and Wellness, Medical Internship: Frequently Asked Questions (updated 23 January 2026), checked Oct 2026

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  3. Your first job

    Your first job is a medical internship in a hospital. You can start once you have passed the qualifying exams and a place is free.

    Ministry of Health and Wellness, Medical Internship: Frequently Asked Questions (updated 23 January 2026), checked Oct 2026

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    For UWI graduates, the qualifying exams are the final exams of UWI's MBBS.

    Ministry of Health and Wellness, Medical Internship: Frequently Asked Questions (updated 23 January 2026), checked Oct 2026

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    A UWI medical degree lets you register for internship with the medical councils across the English-speaking Caribbean, and later to work on your own or train as a specialist.

    The University of the West Indies, Mona, Medicine & Surgery (MBBS) (programme page), checked Oct 2026

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    After internship, the next job in the government's hospitals and clinics is senior house officer (SHO).

    Ministry of Health and Wellness, Medical Internship: Frequently Asked Questions (updated 23 January 2026), checked Oct 2026

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    You need to finish the SHO programme to work as a Medical Officer in the public service, or to enter UWI's DM Programme.

    Ministry of Health and Wellness, Medical Internship: Frequently Asked Questions (updated 23 January 2026), checked Oct 2026

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Sources for these sections

No AI writes these facts. Each one comes from the source named under it and is checked again every year.